


'Tis the Season

by indelibleink89



Series: A Life of Deviancy [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Connor wants to be a good son, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Good Parent Hank Anderson, I just kinda want to reiterate that, Mild swearing because Hank, North is a bro because its better that way, Still not really sure how to tag sorry, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:13:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16141775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indelibleink89/pseuds/indelibleink89
Summary: Christmas time comes faster than Connor realizes, and it's more stressful than he thought it would be. There's one very important question he needs answered: What the heck is he gonna give Hank?





	'Tis the Season

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I want to say thank you for all the hits/kudos/comments on my last work!! I really appreciate all of it! 
> 
> As for this one, it's literally just a big ball of fluff. Sorry not sorry. I hope you enjoy it!

It had been over a month since the revolution, and in that time, Connor had been one very busy android. 

To be fair, the first few weeks had been relatively uneventful for him. Before the Android Rights Act had been officially passed, he had been more or less quarantined to Hank’s house. Markus had contacted him, of course. But, Connor had avoided visiting the street of abandoned warehouses that they’d effectively procured in the name of New Jericho. His initial fears that he’d done a poor job cooperating with the DPD had been assuaged after Markus had shared only a few tales of androids who’d been saved from violence by a passing police officer. At least he’d done that right.

Even so, he’d still been wary of joining his kin, pretending he really belonged with them. One small act didn’t make up for how much he’d hurt them. Besides, as ‘trapped’ as he was, he liked being in Hank’s house. When the Lieutenant was at work or at Jimmy’s Bar, Connor would tend to Sumo, clean every surface he could find, watch tv, fix any appliance that needed repair, then do it all over again the next day.

Alright, so maybe it was a bit boring being grounded in such a place. Maybe his hands itched to have a mystery to unravel. Maybe his biocomponents were restless as he daydreamed of fast chases and challenging fights. Maybe he didn’t like it so much, after all.

Not to say that he wasn’t incredibly grateful to the man who’d taken him in. He’d even started thinking of the house as his _home_. But, there was only so long he could be stuck inside before he needed to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. 

Luckily for him, shortly after the laws had changed to accommodate androids as recognized people with rights of their own, Hank had come home with some good news. 

Connor would be able to return to the DPD. 

As a part of the city’s new initiative to integrate androids into the work force, Connor would be named the DPD’s first legitimate android detective.

“If you want the job, that is.” Hank had said hastily, as if it wasn’t all Connor had been thinking about since he’d come home. 

His “Of course I do!” had made him seem like more of an excited child than a hardworking detective, but Hank had been happy all the same. 

Returning to his job had given the android a lot of the emotions he prefered not to feel; anxiety being the most prevalent. But, he’d also been hopeful. Hopeful that it would work out in his favor, and he could stay there with Hank as long as he wanted. Though, he definitely hadn’t expected to be told that he would be getting _paid_ for his work. Connor had never really put any thought into money. If he’d needed it for his investigation before, it had come directly from CyberLife. Now, he supposed, if he wanted to live his own life, he’d need it. He couldn’t rely on Hank in quite the same way. Unless he had a secret multi-billion dollar company he was keeping from his partner. Unlikely.

The best part, however, had been his reception. He hadn’t been sure just how the other officers would take to his official integration into their line of work. After all, he’d had no official training or experience. Only his programming. He could see how it would offend them. Yet, to his surprise, most of them had been rather pleasant about it. Obviously, not everyone was happy to see him (Detective Reed, in particular, had made his feelings known), but most of them were even kind. It struck Connor (not for the first time) that there were many more android supporters than he’d originally thought. It somehow made him feel worse for having hunted them the way he’d done.

Holding his own badge in his hands had been surreal, like a simulation that he couldn’t quite separate from reality. Not that he would want to. Hank had given him a slap on the back, commenting how it suited him as he slipped the badge securely into the breast pocket of his blazer for the world to see. He couldn’t lie, that had felt good. Even if he couldn’t be sure he’d deserved it, he wouldn’t give it up for anything. Investigating android relates crimes was his chance to atone for the crimes he himself had done to them.

He’d been so focused on his job that he’d barely realized the date until one evening, as he returned with Sumo from their walk, he found Hank with a plastic fir tree in the living room, muttering irritably to himself as he tried to put it together. An image search cross referenced with the date, December 20th, made him understand the action. 

“You’re assembling a Christmas tree?” He asked, with all the tact of a newborn calf. 

Hank looked up from his task to give Connor a blank stare. “Nope.” He deadpanned.

It took the android a moment to realize, “Oh. That was sarcasm.” 

“You really are a brilliant super computer.” Hank said in the same tone. 

Connor frowned at this. He wasn’t _trying_ to be ignorant. It wasn’t like he’d ever seen a christmas tree before. Aside from the photos.

A sigh escaped the older man, “Stop your pouting, will ya? Was just a joke.” He shook his head before gesturing to the tree and the box full of what Connor assumed were decorations. “I know its a bit late to be puttin’ it up. To tell you the truth, I haven’t done it since… well, you know.” 

Connor nodded at this. He could take a guess. From what he’d read, Christmas was a time when humans celebrated life and blessings. He doubted Hank had been in the mood for that the last couple of years. “What made you change your mind?” He queried, cocking his head to the side, brown eyes curious. Hank was still very much the grumpy old man that Connor had first met, even if he’d been trying his hardest to get him to live a… healthier life. 

The lieutenant merely eyed him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and going back to his work. “Figured we got it, might as well use it. Besides, I need somewhere to put all of Sumo’s presents. That dog is as spoiled as a prince.” 

Connor’s gaze moved to the beast who was now laying at the edge of the kitchen, half watching them, half dozing. He smiled at the sight. “Prince Sumo.” He murmured to himself, finding it strangely amusing. 

Then a thought struck him. It was customary for people to exchange gifts on this holiday, and he hadn't gotten Hank anything. Anxiety began to form in his chest. Would Hank be mad if he didn’t get him a gift? He didn’t like the thought of that. No, he would have to get him something. A gift that would truly express his gratitude for everything Hank had done for him. 

The only problem was that he had no idea what the hell that would be. He couldn’t put a monetary value on his own life. Well, he could, but it was much more than he currently possessed.

“Didn’t I tell ya to stop poutin’?” Hank’s gruff voice cut through the android’s thoughts and he realized his frown had returned in his confusion. “I got you somethin’, too.” 

Connor blinked at this, Hank’s words taking a moment to register. “You got me a Christmas gift?” 

Hank chuckled at the surprise on his face, “‘Course I did.” 

Connor’s LED cycled yellow as he struggled to comprehend why Hank would be giving him yet another gift. He’d already given him his jacket and a place to live. Hell, he’d given him his own space, despite how vehemently he’d insisted that he didn’t need it. It had taken Hank two days to get Cole’s old room in order. He’d admitted that he hadn’t so much as gone inside in over a year. That in itself had been more than enough. Any more than that was ludicrous. 

“Oh, don’t give me that look.” Hank said, eyes flickering to the side of Connor’s head. “It ain’t much. Didn’t even spend any money on it.” 

“Oh.” Was all he could think to say to that. Either way, he definitely, _definitely_ needed to get something for Hank, too. He just… had to figure out what.

“Now, are you gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna help me with this damned tree?” 

The gift would have to wait, he supposed. Slowly, he stepped closer, at a loss for where to start. He found a couple videos online of people decorating their trees and looked down at his partner’s face when he was done, frowning. “There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to follow.” 

“You don’t need a pattern. You just stick it wherever you want.” Hank shoved a small green, bulbous decoration into Connor’s hands. His frown deepened. No pattern? He didn’t know how to feel about that.

“But… I-I don’t know where to put it.” His eyes darted to every available inch of the tree he could see from this angle as his preconstructive capabilities kicked in. It was overwhelming. How was he supposed to know where the ideal place was? 

“Jesus, kid. Stop thinking so hard before you start smoking. It doesn’t matter where you put it. Anywhere is fine. See?” Hank placed his own decoration, a blue bulb, three inches to Connor’s left. 

After staring at it for a moment, Connor finally decided to place his own directly in front of him at eye level. Nervously, he turned to his partner for confirmation that this was correct. The thumbs up Hank gave him settled his nerves enough for him to try again.

It was probably slower going than Hank would have been able to do by himself as Connor took quite a bit of time to figure out each location for his decorations, but he didn’t complain. In fact, when they were done, Hank nudged him in the side with his elbow. “Not bad, eh?” he said lightheartedly. 

“It is… pleasing to look at.” Connor conceded, somehow feeling accomplished at this menial task. It’d even been fun. Something that surprised him.

Hank barked out a laugh at that. “That’s one way to put it.” Running a hand through his hair, he turned towards the kitchen. “Now, I need a beer.” 

Connor looked after him, considering chastising him for the thought, but decided against it. He hadn’t seen the man consume any alcohol in the past two days. He supposed he could allow just one. 

Now all he had to do what figure out the perfect gift for his friend. No matter how impossible that seemed.

\---

It was currently 12:24:36am on December 21st, 2038 and the android known as Connor was sat cross legged on the floor in ~~Cole’s~~ his room. The only light came from the moon shining through the window, and the warm yellow of his LED that bounced off the wall. He was halfway inside the small closet as he dug through the items that had been haphazardly thrown into boxes. 

There were few things that Hank loved; Sumo, alcohol, his job (once upon a time), and his son. Connor was hoping to use the latter as a way to give the man something meaningful. He knew that the Lieutenant had some rather… unhealthy coping mechanisms when it came to the grief of his late son, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t remember him. Maybe he could find an answer to how he could give Hank something with a positive memory.

Connor wasn’t very good with grief, not really. His programming allowed for him to easily manipulate those who were experiencing a recent loss to get answers, but he didn’t know how to really treat someone who knew grief so profoundly. He could talk someone off a ledge, but he couldn’t support them in their every day life. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

The young android had never experienced love before. But as he sat on the floor in a room that was only his by kindness, he thought maybe he could start to understand what it meant.

So, he sifted through toys and clothes and books and all the things a young child would need, hoping it would help him express budding emotions that he was still struggling to grasp.

When he found the drawings, he couldn’t help but analyze each and every one. They were rudimentary images from a child trying to understand the world around him, but Connor felt drawn to them anyway. It was silly. He was an android, not a child, but he couldn’t help feeling like he could relate. 

Not in his artistic abilities. He could sketch perfect renditions of pretty much anything he saw. 

It was the intentions behind the drawings. Cole’s need to show just how he viewed the world and what was important to him. 

Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few drawings of Hank and Sumo and their house. There was also a woman that Connor assumed to be Cole’s mother. Aside from that, he saw various animals, other small people who must have been his friends, and so many flowers that Connor wondered if there had once been a garden in the backyard. So much life, so much curiosity. It was a shame to be keeping these packed away in a box. 

Perhaps this was what he could do for Hank. He could remind him of his son’s life instead of his death. Surely he would crack the same grin that Connor wore now, feel the same softness. He would be glad to see these again. These pictures were moments of happiness. It was perfect.

—-

He hadn’t thought that a Christmas present would be the reason Connor finally set foot in New Jericho. He had to admit that he’d been pretty impressed when he’d first arrived. The old buildings no longer looked abandoned. Androids were everywhere, working or lounging or whatnot. It was almost like a small city in itself. 

He felt a little bit guilty for not helping when North, who’d spotted him on the way in, had teased him about being ‘too good’ to be around them. He’d thought her serious for a split second before she snorted and playfully punched him in the arm. She was rather odd, but Connor liked her. He liked all of the Jericho leaders, really. North was a spitfire, Josh the kindest person he’d ever seen, and Simon was… calm. And steady. Yeah, that was how he’d describe him. 

They’d all been open to Connor as if it had only been a few days since they’d seen him last. It was a much warmer welcome than he’d expected.

As North walked him to Markus’ office, he let slip something that had been weighing on him, “I’m a little surprised that most people here seem… happy to see me. I thought you would be wary of me. After what I’ve done.” 

North looked over at him thoughtfully before answering, “I was at first, I won’t lie. I didn’t know if we could trust you. But, Markus helped me understand.” She stopped walking, turning to Connor and looking into his eyes. “I know what it’s like to be used by the humans for a purpose you don’t want. It was slavery for you, just as it was for me.” 

He thought on that for a moment. He was fully aware of what her model, WR400, was designed for. He wasn’t sure if it could be directly compared, but he appreciated where she came from. Despite the relative freedom his programming had allowed him, he’d still been controlled. The thought of Amanda, still thankfully dormant, sent a shiver through his biocomponents. He’d been afraid of her and of CyberLife, even if he hadn’t realized it. Not until Hank had realized it for him. 

With a nod and a small smile, he replied, “Yes, I suppose that is what it was. Even so, I’m sorry for everything.” 

She returned his smile as she said, “I know. We all know. So stop acting so damn awkward around us and loosen up a bit, yeah?” 

He nodded again at that, knowing she was being truthful. “You got it. From now on, I’ll be one hundred percent smooth and cool.” He gave her an intentionally ridiculous wink which resulted in a choked laugh from her. 

“Wow, you’re such a dweeb.” She countered, but it was more fondly than she’d ever spoken to him before. 

By the time they reached their destination, Connor had to admit that he was feeling better about his relationship with Jericho. For which he found himself grateful. He hadn’t been designed to form relationships with other androids, but it seemed this was much easier than he’d anticipated.

As they stepped through the door to Markus’ office, Connor felt he made the right choice. The entire room was covered in art of varying shades. Even to an android as analytical as himself, he could appreciate it. There was something warm and welcoming in the pieces he’d chosen. 

Markus himself was standing near a desk, a tablet in hand. Connor wondered momentarily what was on it, though he decided not to pry. As he stepped closer, the Leader of Jericho looked up and offered him a warm smile. “Connor. It’s good to see you. I was worried you were avoiding us.” His tone was teasing as he spoke, though they both knew he wasn’t incredibly wrong.

Connor offered him a friendly smile, “I’m sorry I haven't come sooner.” Not really a lie. “But, I’m glad to be here now. What you’ve done with this place is no small feat.” Also not a lie. 

Markus nodded his agreement as he set down the tablet. “Countless androids have been working tirelessly to get this place up and running. I’m merely a small part of the equation.” 

Connor’s smile warmed at the humility. Markus didn’t seem to understand just how much none of this would have been possible without him. 

“So, what brings you here?” Markus’ voice was calm and inviting, yet Connor felt his anxiety flare nonetheless.

He took the folder he’d had under his arm, and turned stormy brown eyes on his friend, “I need help.” 

Markus’ brow furrowed at this, his expression turning to concern. “What do you need?” He asked, his voice tight. Connor sat the folder on the desk and opened it to reveal the drawings he’d found in Cole’s closet. As he looked back to the other android, he noticed his face had changed to a mask of confusion. “Well, this is not what I expected.” 

A millisecond later and Connor realized Markus had thought this was a dangerous situation. “Oh. No, I’m sorry. I need help with Hank’s Christmas present. These pictures are the work of his late son and I wanted to turn them into something… I don’t know. Something he wouldn’t want to shove in a box in a closet.” 

Markus’ laugh was hearty and warm, and Connor watched him shake his head before relaxedly crossing his arms. “This is _definitely_ not what I expected. But, I think I can help you. What did you have in mind.” 

Connor’s frown deepened. “I-I don’t know. I wasn’t programmed to understand creativity and I’m afraid I haven’t had enough experience with it to come up with something decent on my own.” 

He watched Markus look back to the drawings, lifting them up to study them closer. “How old was he?” 

“He was six years old when he passed. Analysis shows these were done over an extended period of time. Maybe a couple years.” 

“He was pretty good for someone so young.” 

“Yes, I agree.” 

Markus was quiet for a moment before looking back to Connor. “We could put them in a scrapbook.” He offered. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t know the dates. Humans like to know when things are done. Though, you can’t expect a six year old to date and sign his work.” He grinned at Connor who merely nodded. 

“Do you think he would like that?” 

“Well, you know him significantly better than I do as I’ve never met him. What do you think?” 

Connor recalled a moment from their first investigation where Hank had lamented how few people enjoyed physical books anymore. Maybe that also extended to scrapbooks. With a nod, he replied, “Yes, I think that would please him.” 

“Good. I think we have something around here we can use. I’ve gathered so many supplies for my art, I think I remember seeing a scrapbook.” 

It took them a couple hours to get it just right. Connor ended up suggesting that they put some kind of captions on them and they ended up recruiting one of the YK500’s to write them out. He figured Hank would appreciate a child’s handwriting as opposed to the perfect CyberLife Sans that he and Markus used. 

By the time they were done, Connor thought the book seemed almost like a story of Cole’s life. Something about that made him feel warm and he hoped Hank would have the same feeling when he opened it. 

“Thank you, Markus.” He put a hand on his friend’s arm, wanting him to know how much he meant it. “I know you’re busy and this was silly, but I-“ 

Markus cut him off, “This wasn’t silly at all, Connor. In fact, it was fun. Besides, even I need a break every now and then. Perhaps I should be thanking you.” 

Connor wasn’t sure what to say to that. He merely smiled and nodded. “Still, thank you anyway. I’m still learning things like this. It seems that it isn’t quite as easy for me as it is for most deviants to understand their own emotion and expression. I’m glad to have had your help.” 

Markus nodded, eyes warm. “It was no problem. You can come to me any time, Connor.” 

Connor matched his expression with more ease than he’d thought possible. “You can come to me, as well. Although, I’m not sure what I can do for you. If you _do_ ever need me, I won’t hesitate to help.” 

Markus seemed to like the idea as he replied, “Thank you. I appreciate that.” 

As he made his way home, Connor clutched the book in his hands like it were his life’s work. He was still nervous, but he was more confident that Hank would appreciate his gift. Maybe he’d finally get a glimpse at how grateful the android was to have been paired with him out of any other officer in the DPD. It was certainly a start. 

—-

It was 8:00:00am on December 25th, 2038 when Connor roused from stasis. 

His normal morning routine helped to calm his synthetic nerves. He found himself talking to Sumo more than usual and scrubbing the dirty pan from the night before a little bit harder than he normally would. He was excited. More excited than he’d ever been for anything else. Maybe he could understand why humans liked this holiday so much. His audio processors were turned up to notice any sign of movement in Hank’s bedroom, and his thirium pump stuttered when he heard him stir. 

By the time Hank emerged to find the breakfast Connor had prepared for him, the android was close to jumping out of his fake skin. 

“Good morning, Hank!” He chirped more brightly than he’d intended. “Merry Christmas.” 

Hank blinked at him, still a little bleary eyed. “Well, Merry Christmas to you, too. Nice hat.” 

Connor suddenly remembered the red and white fabric he’d pulled over his head. “Ah, yes. I found it among the unused ornaments. Photo references showed me that this was how you wore it. Is it correct?” 

Hank reached out and flicked at the little white ball of fluff, smirking as it flew behind Connor’s head. “Yep. You got it right.” 

The android blinked at the action, but didn’t question it. Instead, he grinned at his friend. “I’m glad to hear that.” 

As Hank ate his breakfast, only complaining a little bit about how healthy it was, Connor found himself fidgeting with his coin. The familiar cool texture soothed him further. 

“Maybe I shoulda got ya a whole bowl of those.” Hank mused more to himself than to Connor, but he answered anyway. 

“Why would I need that many?” He questioned, only half serious. He wouldn’t say _no_ to having a plethora of quarters, but the image of Hank’s exasperated face as he juggled multiple coins at a time made him smile. 

Hank grumbled at that and Connor made out the words ‘little shit’. It only made him smile wider. Maybe he would ask for that next year.

As Hank finished his breakfast, Connor used the excuse to clean up despite how the man protested that he didn’t need to act like his damn servant. It was something he’d heard before, and he ignored it again. Cleaning made him happy. He supposed CyberLife couldn’t help programming that into him, as well. Despite everything. 

It felt like a lifetime before they shifted into the living room, and Connor sat cross legged on the floor next to Sumo. The St. Bernard was the lucky first recipient of the gifts. Hank had gotten him a nice large bone and Connor had bought him some dental treats. 

“Alright, so it’s not much, but I figured you might appreciate it.” Hank said as he shoved a small wrapped lump in Connor’s hands. He looked down at it, studying its size. It was roughly 12 by 7 inches and not very heavy. Slowly, he began to unwrap it, not wanting to ruin the paper. Hank huffed at how long it was taking him. “You can just tear it up, you know.” Connor gave him a look and continued his meticulous pulling until the tape had all come up.

When he realized that it was multiple things instead of one, he understood. Small magazines with brightly colored pictures filled his vision. “Batman.” He read the name on the cover. Not magazines. “These are comic books.” He’d never seen paper comics before. He liked them. 

“Yeah.” Hank nodded, unable to help his smile. “He’s the world’s greatest detective. Get it?” 

Connor couldn’t help the chuckle that came out of him. “I get it. Thank you. I’ll have to read them later.” 

Hank shook his head a little. “If you don’t like them, just let me know. I won’t be offended.” 

Connor clutched the comics tighter to him. “I do! I promise.” 

This seemed to appease the lieutenant and he smiled softly. “Alright.” 

Finally, he knew it was his turn to give Hank the book, and he grabbed it from under the tree with shaky hands before presenting it to him. “I-I hope you enjoy it. I had Markus help me as I’m not very good at this sort of thing.” 

Hank’s eyebrows shot up. “Markus, huh?” He let out a low whistle. “Now I feel special.” 

As he took the book, he was much less considerate to the wrapping paper and Connor tried to not let that bother him. 

For a moment as Hank opened the book and took in the contents, the room was deathly quiet. Connor couldn’t so much as breathe, not that he needed to. When he realized that there was moisture on Hank’s eyes, his LED went from yellow to blood red in an instant. Oh, no. Oh, no no. He’d miscalculated. This didn’t make Hank happy, it made him sad. It reminded him of what he’d lost. Instead of helping his grief, Connor had only made it worse. He suddenly felt like grabbing the lieutenant’s gun and nestling it under his chin so he wouldn’t have to feel just how much he’d hurt the man. 

“H-Hank, I’m s-sorry, I didn’t think… I d-didn’t mean to-“ 

“It’s really nice.” Hank sniffled as he cut him off. “Thank you.” He looked over to the android, a small smile on his face. 

Connor’s LED circled back to yellow before settling on its pale blue before he spoke again. “Are you sure? I wanted to celebrate him. I hope it wasn’t insensitive.” 

Hank barked out a laugh, wiping his eyes. “This is about the least insensitive thing anyone has ever done for me. Don’t worry, kid.” He sucked in a deep breath. “‘Dad, Mom, Sumo. Assorted friends.’” He chuckled as he read the captions. “Cole didn’t write any of this.” 

Connor shook his head. “No. I thought you might appreciate labeling, so we added them. I hope you don’t mind.” 

Hank gave him a look that was hard to define, even now, before he said, “I don’t mind.”

It was hard to hold his gaze, so Connor’s eyes shifted to Sumo who was happily munching on his new bone. He reached out to run his hand through his fur, finding the repetitive motion calming. 

“Listen, Connor…” Hank started after a moment, tone awkward, like he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to say. 

Large brown eyes looked up to him, his hand still buried in Sumo’s hair. “Yes, Hank?” Part of him was still wary that his was going to lecture him. 

The lieutenant frowned at him for a moment before he seemed to find his words. “Look, I know I’m not exactly the… easiest person to live with. But, I just want ya to know that…” He started rubbing his neck, a nervous tick Connor had noticed before. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”

If you had asked Connor only a month ago if he’d ever thought he’d hear those words from Hank, he would have firmly denied it. Now, though, as he saw the way he shifted, clearing his throat to avoid the silence, the android knew he meant it. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He felt like his throat had shut down and his lips wouldn’t move. Finally, he was able to quietly reply, “I’m glad to be here, Hank.” There was a waiver to his voice that he’d never heard before, but it seemed to make Hank smile. 

It was here, sitting on the floor, with a pile of comic books in his lap, that Connor thought maybe he could understand what a family really was. He figured it could just be an old man, his dog, and his android who was still unsure exactly what being alive really meant. For now, at least, he theorized that that was really all he needed to be happy.


End file.
